Toy balloon with internal illumination



Feb. 20, 1951 I G- s. ROXBURGH 2,542,361

TOY BALLOON WITH INTERNAL ILLUMINATION Filed May 10, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 20, 1951 G. s. ROXBURGH 2, 4

TOY BALLOON WITH INTERNAL ILLUMINATION Filed May 10, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 20, 1951 UNITED S TATES PATENT OFFICE 2,542,361 TOY BALLOON WI'IH INTERNAL ILLUMINATION Gerald stRoxburgh, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Application May 10, 1946, Serial No. 668,840

5 Claims.

Ehe invention relates to toy balloons and an object of the invention is to provide a balloon of the above kind which can be internally illuminated so that the balloon will give a pleasing low of colour when the same is illuminated, thereby allowing the balloon to be used to great advantage for decorating, advertising or other purposes.

A further" object is to provide the balloon with means, other than the existing inflating neck, through which thebulb-of. an electric, illuminating lampcan be. easily andquickly inserted, and will permit of the inflation of the balloon, subsequently, in the usualway andof. the illumination of.: the, balloon. with the lamp.

Aiurthcr object, is toconstruct. said means so that the, inflated balloon, with the .insertedbulb, can be depended upon to remain inflated for an indefinite period of time and whether the lamp is illuminated or not,.proyided of. course the indatin neckis tied closed in the usual manner.

A further object is to construct said means so that v an air tight, joint of' the balloon with the lamp can be depended upon irrespective of "Whether the lamp at the time of insertion is in or, outof, its socket.

A more detailed object of'the invention is to provide the; balloon with a reinforcing elastic portion of a ring like nature through which the lamp bulb is forcibly inserted and which serves-to form an air tight jointwith the-base of the inserted lamp andalso to support-"the same;

A. further object is to supply the ring either "with anopen centre or-with a thin-filament of balloon rubber closing the opening, the latter arrangement permitting ofthe balloon being inflated in the usual manner if desired or of the ready insertion of the lamp'bulb upon thefilament being pierced bya pin or similar instrument.

A further object is to so design the ringth'at the Workof the insertion of the lamp bulb therethrough is facilitated andso that when the ring is in its'final position it is under tension and maybe under certain conditions compressed.

With the above more important objects in'view,

' the invention'consistsin the arrangement and construction-of parts hereinafter described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Fig. 1 is a side viewof astringof electric 1an.ps equipped with aset of 'my'balloons'.

Fig; 2 is. a side view oi a deflated balloon equipped with my invention.-

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailed verticalssectional view at 3'3Fig. 2.

- experimenting and; testing v arrangement which permits" balloonsjof varying stringsuch as appann 'mrig. 1. lamps'and sockets are Fig. i is an enlarged new of an interior portion of the balloon with my ring attached.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section similar to 3 but showing the ring open centered, that is q filament of balloon rubber closing the opening.

Fig. 6 is a section similar to Fig. 3 but with the ring appearing on the outside" of the balloon and with the centre thereof closed by a filament of the balloon rubber.

Fig. 7 is a View similar centreof the ring open;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged face view of the ring.

Fig. '9 is a vertical section at 99 Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a vertical sectional View through a portion of a balloon circular cross section and the opening through the ring closed.

Fig. 1-1 is a view similar to Fig: 10 and with the ring opening not-closed:

Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing the lamp bulb about to bei-nserted through the ring."

Fig.13 is anenlarged sectional view at l 3--'l3 Fig. 12'.

Fig. 14 is an enlarged detailed longitudinal sectional View centrally through the standard lamp soclget and showing the lamp in side elevation and the ring of theballoon in" cross section.

Fig; 15 is a view similart'o Fig. '14 but with the lamp removed from-the; socket.

Figllfiis a View similar to Fig. 15 but showing a ring circular'in cross section. V I I In the drawings like characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in the several figures.

I am aware that balloons have heretofore been to Fig. 6 but with the illuminated by electric lamps inserted through existing necks of the balloons but without special apparatus being employed this is a verylabouridos and unsatisfactory operation. and my problem has been to provide a balloon which can be obtained by'the'general public at lowbost, and can be inflated inthe usual way and internally illuminatedif desired and without employing, gadgets forthe purpose and with the utmost of case. M

As is well known balloons are made in varying sizes; shapes and colours and after considerable I av mended a sizes to interiorly illuminatedand in'flated with facilityand while employing the standard lamps and sockets now'found on the market and used commonly em decorating and other purposes.

The standard electric lamp" and' socket now marked chiefly for decorating purposes," are of two types; seriesand multiple, and they are suppliedin sets, there being several lamps in a The "series slightly smaller than these of the multiple type, but I have found that my invention accommodates both types.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown in detail the standard lamp and socket of the series type and in Figs. 13 to 16 they are shown twice full size.

The socket l presents the outer shell 2, the interior threaded cup 3, the insulated contact 4 within the cup and the leads 5 and 6 to the cup and to the contact respectively. It will be observed that the rim 1 of the shell is provided with a flaring interior face i.

The standard lamp 8 for the socket has the stem 9 thereof adapted to screw into the cup and it is provided with a contact ii engageable with that 4. It will be observed that there is an annular space reserved between the flaring face 1 and the opposing face of the fully screwed in lamp and that the width of this space remains constant due to the fact that the fully screwed in position of the lamp is fixed by virtue of the engagement of the contacts Ill and 4.

Balloons as now marketed vary in shape, colour and size, and I have herein shown. in Fig. 2 the approximate shape of a deflated balloon II which upon inflation becomes spherical. Such a balloon is supplied with a neck l2 through which it is inflated and after inflation the neck is tied with a string as indicated at l2 to retain the air. In supplying a balloon with my invention I provide an elastic reinforcing ring like portion i3 which may be formed inte ral with the balloon or permanently cemented thereto in any suitable way. Such'ring may appear on the interior or exterior of the balloon (see Figs. 3 and 6) and may have the open centre thereof closed bya filament of ba loon rubber hi or may have the opening not closedby such a filament as shown in Figs. 5 and '7. Said ring may also vary in cross section provided it retains the inflating air in the balloon and it'may vary also in internal and external diameter depending on the size of the lamp to be inserted therethrough.

I have found the type of ring shown in Figs. 3

'to 9 most serviceable and prefer, for appearance sake, that it be located within the balloon, although it acts just as effectively outside, and also that the opening in the ring be closed by the filament 14 which is actually a part of the balloon body. The ring is best located near the base of the balloon neck although it may be positioned otherwise if desired.

, When the balloon is provided with the ring,

and the ring opening is not closed with a filament, one cannot inflate it in the ordinary way as the air would blow out through the opening. It can however be inflated and illuminated by inserting the lamp bulb at which time the parts will appear as shown in Fig, 15. When the ring is closed by the fi ament'i i one can inflate the balloon in the usual way or he can illuminate the balloon by first piercing the filament with a pin or the like, and then forcing the lamp bulb through the ring to the position shown in several of the figures of the drawings, and. finally inflating it through the neck and tying and connecting'the lamp with a source of current.

I havefound that a ring of semi-circular cross-section serves my purpose most satisfactorily. Such a ring gives a base of sufficient area for convenientl receiving the finger and thumb when the lamp bulb is being forced through, it gives a minimum of rubber in contact with the ingoing lamp bulb thereby reducing friction and it fits snugly the base of the lamp (see Fig. 14) when in final position and with considerable bearing area on the lamp.

I have also found that with the variations in the sizes of balloons and the variation in the sizes of lamps and sockets of the series and multiple types, the thickness of the ring is important. A ring which is slightly compressed in its final position between the interior flaring face I of the rim and the base of the lamp (see Fig. 14) will effectively hold the inflating pressure of the varying sizes of balloons and can be used with either the series or multiple type of lamp and socket. I have found that the width of the annular space between the rim '1' and the base of the lamp is slightly greater in the multiple type of lamp and socket and that particularly with the larger sizes of balloons it is desirable that the ring be compressed in its final position. For the ordinary smaller balloons such compression is not at all necessary as my tests over many weeks of time, have definitely shown that the tensioned ring will hold the inflating air, without leakage, and this with the balloon inserted lamp in or out of its socket, and such as appearing in Figs. 14 and 15. It will be understood that when the ring has reached its final position at the base of the bulb it is still expanded so it is holding tightly against the lamp and with sufiicient grip to retain the inflating air. 7

When one desires to place a lamp in the balloon equipped with my invention he pricks the filament M, if such be used. and then forces the lamp bulb through the centre of the ring, it being advantageous to apply a little soapy water or sa iva on the bulb to make it sl p ery. At this time the deflated balloon is held as best shown in Figs. 12 and 13 where it will be observed that the finger and thumb of the left hand are behind the ring while the right hand is holding the lamp and forcing it through the ring. The lamp can be either in or out of its socket at this t me. If in the socket the ring takes the position shown in Fig. 14 when the operation of inserting is completed and if out of its socket the parts appear as shown in Fig. 15. In the latter case one simply screws the lamp, with attached balloon, into the socket. Subsequently in either case. the balloon is inflated through the neck and the neck tied, and the balloon is then illuminated by connecting the lamp with a source of electric current.

I have found that in some cases (abnormal cases) such as when using a large toy balloon and a multiple type lamp and socket there is sometimes a slight leakage of air when the lamp and balloon are set up as shown in- Fig. 15 and that this leakage stops immediately when the lamp is screwed tightly into its socket. This appears to indicate that the ring is compressed between the rim of the socket and the base of the lamp. I have observed also that under precisely the same conditions of lamp, balloon and socket and with the lamp in the socket and the ring forced'over the lamp bulb; there is no leakage of air upon the balloon being inflated. This may be explained in two ways. One' explanation may be that the quick inward slope of the lamp bulb, together with the force of the quickly contracting ring, plugs the ring so forcibly into the annular space that it is brought under compression in its final position. Another explanation may be that as cross sectional area is gradually increasing, due to contraction, and that at the moment it has reached the annular space its cross sectional area is not sufficient to prevent it entering and that after entering said area has increased sufficiently to make tight contact with the flange and compress the already tensioned ring. In the above it will be remembered that the diameter of the lamp stem is considerably less than the diameter of the flaring base of the lamp bulb so that the ring is least extended when it is on the stem and accordingly will have greater cross sectional area.

When a string of inflated balloons of varying colours are inflated and illuminated they give an extremely pretty decorative elfect. They can of course be used singly if desired. Further these inflated, illuminated balloons lend themselves for advertising purposes as it is only a matter of placing the desired advertising material on the balloon body. and it becomes illuminated when the balloon is inflated and connected with a source of electric current.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a balloon provided with an inflating neck, a reinforcing elastic ring permanently secured to the balloon body with a filament of the balloon body closing the ring opening, to permit of the inflation of the balloon through the neck, prior to the piercing of the filament or of the inflation of the balloon subsequent to the insertion of an electric lamp bulb through the ring and pierced filament.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the ring is secured to the inner face of the balloon.

3. In a balloon provided with an inflating neck, a reinforcing elastic ring permanently secured to the balloon body and having that portion of the balloon body crossing the opening of the ring non-pierced.

4. A balloon or elastic material provided with an inflating neck and having the body of the balloon supplied with an elastic reinforcing ring of semi-circular cross section surrounding an opening in the balloon body and the ring adapted to be expanded by contact with the tapered bulb of an electric lamp forcibly passed therethrough and become tightly seated on the base of the inserted bulb.

5. A balloon of elastic material provided with an inflating neck and having the body of the balloon supplied with an elastic reinforcing ring of semi-circular cross section surrounding an area of the balloon body and the ring adapted to be expanded by contact with the tapered bulb of an electric lamp forcibly passed therethrough and become tightly seated on the base of the inserted bulb.

GERALD S. ROXBURGH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Date 

